


Bramble

by lanyrainicorn



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-18
Updated: 2016-05-18
Packaged: 2018-06-09 05:08:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6891460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lanyrainicorn/pseuds/lanyrainicorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What better way to spend a day than in the bramble patch?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bramble

“Hurry up, Jean, you’re so slow!” Marco laughs as he yanks the other boy through low hanging branches and over thick roots that Jean thinks were placed there with the sole purpose of tripping him every three feet.

“Where the hell are you dragging me off to, Freckles?” Jean spits around a mouthful of leaves that happened to be just the right height to smack him dead in the face.

 

Free time is a rare and sought after commodity in the Survey Corps, with its importance coming in somewhere behind meat and fresh water, but definitely before alcohol, though it isn’t uncommon for all of these things to coexist amongst the troops. Time off usually happens after successful expeditions, and the current break is no exception. There isn’t a scout in the regiment that wasn’t jumping for joy when they returned from their latest venture with several cows, pounds of fresh apples, and a dozen newly tamed horse in tow. Though not even apples and meat could compare with the satisfaction of taking down a few titans, replacement horses and fresh food were valuable resources, and this was a victory nonetheless.

Most of the recruits, especially the lazier among them – Connie, Sasha, and Ymir to name a few – are content to spend their downtime sleeping in the sun or playing cards, while those like Armin and Eren spend their time more wisely, doing research or sparring, respectively. Why anyone would want to spent their break training and studying is beyond Jean’s comprehension, but he sure as hell isn’t going to comment on it.

Those who aren’t satisfied sitting around goofing off or reading during their time off come up with different ways to have fun.

Take Marco, for example. Marco’s definition of fun includes activities that keep him constantly moving, things that keep him active and have him sweating and covered in dirt by the end of the day. It’s something Marco considers a redeeming quality of the Survey Corps – he’s allowed the freedom to never stop adventuring. It is, after all, the branch dedicated to expansion and exploration of the outside world.

Three days into their week long break, Jean realized that he’d barely seen or spoken to Marco the whole time, though not for lack of trying. He was convinced that Marco was getting up well before sunrise, leaving Jean snoring in the adjoining bunk. Despite his best efforts to wake up early and get some best friend time in, Marco continued to elude him.

Since Marco was nowhere to be found, he’d spent the first day playing cards with Sasha and Connie, even winning a few games of Old Maid. When Ymir, Reiner, and an increasingly anxious-looking Bertholdt joined in, with the former two suggesting strip poker, Jean graciously bowed out, desperate to conserve the little dignity he had left.

He spent the next day in the library with Armin as he flitted around organizing notes and sketching out formations, and Jean was sure he looked like a lost puppy, following the other around like that. Several hours of watching Armin stack and write and shuffle later, Jean was sure he’d die of boredom. After the umpteenth time Armin turned around and ran face first into Jean because he was standing over his shoulder, the small blonde banished Jean to his room (with a couple books for good measure) for failing to stay out of his way.

On day three, Jean briefly considered sparring with Eren, before he literally laughed out loud at himself and decided he’d rather spend the entire day in bed. When Marco came back from wherever he’d been all day, sweaty and covered in dirt and smelling like earth and grass, to see Jean lying face down in the exact same spot he’d been when Marco had left, the brunette just laughed and offered to take Jean with him when he went out the next day, to which Jean enthusiastically agreed. He’d do anything to get out of the monotony at the barracks. Not to mention spending time alone with Marco didn’t sound like the worst idea in the world.

 

At the time Jean had thought it was a great idea, excited at the prospect of spending the whole day with Marco, but as yet another branch smacks him in the ribs – that’ll be a bruise – he’s starting to have second thoughts.

“Okay, again, where are you taking me?”

“It’s a surprise! Just – close your eyes, we’re almost there!”

If excitement could kill you, Marco would be dead and buried. He’s practically vibrating with joy as he continues to tug Jean over more obstacles.

A moment later Marco comes to a stop and Jean barrels into his back with an _oomph!_ Marco tells him to keep his eyes closed as the brunette shuffles around a bit before finally moving behind Jean and bracing his hands on Jean’s shoulders.

“Alright, open your eyes!” Jean does and at first he has no idea why Marco is so excited, because all sees is a clearing filled with thorny vines. Jean can kind of see the appeal; the glade is pretty, picturesque even, surrounded by trees, and the sunlight filters down through the gaps in the leaves, scattering patches of shimmery light along the forest floor. But otherwise all Jean sees is a big, tangled mess of vines and stubby shrubs. “Isn’t it great?!” Marco asks, bouncing enthusiastically on the balls of his feet.

Jean doesn’t want to hurt his feelings, he’s his best friend after all, so he tries to put it as delicately as possible. “Uh, yeah. It’s really nice, Marco…” A pause as Marco looks at Jean expectantly. “But what’s with all the weeds?” Marco’s smile falters a bit and he looks utterly offended.

“They’re not _weeds_ , Jean. They’re dewberries!” Marco says, like Jean has even the slightest clue what he’s talking about.

“The hell is a dewberry? Sounds like somethin’ I’d call Jaeger.”

“Look close!” Marco says, walking into the brush and crouching down. He busies his hands for a moment and when he stands up and returns to Jean, sure enough, there is a small pile of lumpy purpley-black berries resting in Marco’s palm. He tosses them into his mouth while mumbling between bites. “See? These are dewberries. Kinda like blackberries or raspberries, but they grow low to the ground and have much pricklier stems. They grow _everywhere_ back in Jinae. I used to take my siblings out into the woods and we’d pick for hours. Then when we brought them home, Mom would make cobbler and muffins and pie…”

Marco trails off, face solemn and fond, and Jean knows he’s gotten a bit lost in his memories. It happens a lot, not just to Marco, but to all the scouts. It’s been a while since any of them have been able to visit home, and some wonder if they still have a home to return to, while others know they don’t. But still, it’s nice to think back to easier, simpler, _better_ times. Memories help them cope.

Marco’s reverie doesn’t last long, and soon he’s beaming again as he pulls Jean into the tangle of thorns at their ankles and says, “I found this place yesterday and thought of you right away. I figured this could be like… our spot, ya know? Where we could come to get away from the chaos of the group. If you’d like, that is…” Jean notices that Marco’s freckles have faded a little behind a rosy blush, but before Jean can get out a teasing comment, Marco shakes his head. “Go on, try one!”

Jean bends down, plucks a shiny red berry from its vine and pops it into his mouth. His first reaction is to spit it out immediately, and he might’ve if his mouth wasn’t puckered so tight that he thinks he may have lost control of his facial muscles for the moment.

Marco snorts and spends the next few minutes clutching his stomach and wiping tears from his eyes as he laughs at Jean’s predicament. “You’re supposed to eat the _ripe_ ones, Jean!”

Jean’s ears burn with embarrassment as he finally turns to spit the bitter fruit out. “Well how the hell am I supposed to know which ones are ripe?!” Jean snaps, not meaning to sound so harsh.

But Marco just smiles and pulls a particularly large berry from the briars. He brings it up to Jean’s lips and raises his eyebrows as if to say, “Open up.” and Jean obliges. Marco’s fingers linger on Jean’s lip just long enough for him to notice, and it makes Jean shiver as he breaks out in goosebumps all over. “Better?” Marco whispers as Jean chews.

“Hmm,” Jean says, licking his lips. “Definitely better than the red ones. Still a little bitter, though.”

Marco hums and takes a step forward, eyes on the ground and his hand still hovering awkwardly between the two, and Jean is very aware that Marco is slowly moving into his personal space, but finds that he doesn’t mind at all. Jean’s eyes land on Marco’s lips, tinged bright red from the berries’ juice. Marco licks those rosy lips as his eyes travel up to Jean’s and he leans closer, so close that Jean can feel the heat of his breath and smell the saccharine tang that lingers on his tongue.

The first brush of their lips is cautious, and when Marco’s nose brushes against Jean’s it tickles, and the blonde lets out a puffy laugh. Jean is the first to move, tilting his head as he slides his palm tenderly across Marco’s cheek, thumb smoothing over splotches of dark freckles as he goes, until his hand rests lovingly against Marco’s nape.

Emboldened by Jean’s forwardness, Marco grasps at Jean’s chest, hands crumpling the front of the other boy’s shirt. He turns his head to deepen the kiss, pressing his lips more firmly against Jean’s when he feels Jean’s mouth curve into a smile.

Jean is smiling because he’s been wanting this for so long, but every time he thought it was the right moment he second guessed himself. He’s smiling because Marco tastes like sugar and warmth and sunshine, if sunshine could have a taste. The brunette’s mouth is as sweet and wonderful as his disposition and Jean is smiling because he could dive into this feeling and get lost for days, maybe drown in its depths and die happy.

Jean doesn’t know how long he stands there, wrapped in Marco’s tan, toned arms that have made their way around the his shoulders, tasting Marco’s sweet whimpers and sighs against his lips, but it’s long enough for his legs to fall asleep, tingling lightly as the boys finally pull away from each other, blushing and winded.

“This was your plan all along, wasn’t it, Freckles?” Jean asks, still stroking the soft hair at the back of Marco’s neck while he looks shyly into those big chocolate doe eyes he knows so very well.

Marco chuckles sweetly as he nuzzles his nose against Jean’s cheek. “Well, not exactly. But I can’t say that I’m disappointed with how things turned out.” They stand for a moment longer, catching their breath and giggling from hormones and giddy excitement before Marco says, “How ‘bout we pick some berries for everyone else. Bet they’d appreciate it.”

Jean just nods, because right now Marco could ask him anything in the world and he’d agree, and when he threads his fingers through Marco’s, the smile the brunette gives him is almost blinding. Marco pulls Jean along through the brambles as they pick, laughing the whole time.

Jean thinks he could get used to the taste of dewberries… as long as he’s tasting them on Marco’s lips.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed! <3
> 
> i have a [tumblr](http://lanyrainicorn.tumblr.com) where i post lots of annoying anime crap
> 
> ps please tell me if there are typos, i tried to get them all but they like to haunt my very existence and torture my soul thank


End file.
